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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · roll · board · fork · swing · wind · track · tear

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a committee
  8. roll — a list
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. board — to get on
  13. fork — in a road
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wind — moving air
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tear — to rip
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com